MINERAL- is an inorganic, naturally occurring

solid, formed by geologic processes, that has a

crystalline structure and a definable chemical
composition.
 INORGANIC: not living, never was living or
composed of organic matter.
 NATURALLY OCCURRING: true minerals
are formed in nature, not in factories
 FORMED BY GEOLOGIC PROCESSES:
implies that minerals are result only of
solidification of molten rock or direct
precipitation from water a water solution,
processes that do not involve living organisms.
 SOLID: a solid is a state of matter that can
maintain its shape indefinitely, and thus will
not conform to the shape of the container.
 CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURE: atoms that
make up a mineral are fixed in a specific,
orderly pattern (crystalline solid).
* CRYSTAL LATTICE- the imaginary
framework representing the arrangement of
atoms.
 DEFINABLE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
this phrase simply means that it is possible to
write a chemical formula for a mineral. Some
minerals contain only one element, but most
are compounds of two or more elements.
Ex.
SiO2 : Quartz (Contains elements Silicon and
Oxygen)
1. Solid
2. Naturally occurring
3. Inorganic
4. Fixed chemical formula
5. Specific atomic arrangement
 MINERALOGY: the study of mineral

 MINERALOGIST: the one who studies

minerals
 Without exaggeration, we can say that minerals
are the building blocks of our planet, for
minerals make up most rocks and sediments of
the Solid Earth.
 Minerals are used in industries as raw
materials for manufacturing chemicals,
concrete and wall boards and more.
 COLOR: results from the way
mineral interacts with light.
Sunlight contains the whole
spectrum of colors, each with
a different wavelength. A
mineral absorbs certain
wavelength, so the color you
see when looking at a
specimen represents the
mineral does not absorb.
Certain minerals always have
the same color, but many
occur in a range of color.
 STREAK: refers to the color of a powder
produced by pulverizing the mineral. You can
obtain a streak by scraping the mineral against
an unglazed ceramic plate.
 LUSTER: refers to the way a mineral surface
scatters light. Geoscientists describe luster
simply by comparing the appearance of the
mineral with the appearance of a familiar
substance. For example, minerals that look like
metal have a metallic luster, whereas those that
do not have a non- metallic luster.
 HARDNESS: is a
measure of the relative
ability of a mineral to
resist scratching, and it
therefore represents the
ability of bonds in the
structure to resist being
broken.
- measured through the
Mohs Hardness Scale
developed by
mineralogist, Friedrich
Mohs.
 SPECIFIC GRAVITY: represents the density of
a mineral , as defined by the ratio between the
weight of the volume of the mineral and the
weight of an equal volume of water at 4˚C. In
practice, you can develop a sense of specific
gravity by hefting minerals in your hands.
 CRYSTAL HABIT: refers to the shape of a
single crystal with well- formed crystal faces or
to the character of an aggregate of many well-
formed crystals that grew together as a group.
When describing habit, mineralogists
commonly compare the mineral to a common
geometric shape, by using adjectives such as
cubic, prismatic, bladed, platy or fibrous.
 CLEAVAGE: describes how a mineral tends to
break along preferred planes determined by its
molecular structure.
 FRACTURE: refers to the irregular breaks not
along the preferred planes. Forms irregular
fractures or conchoidal fractures.
- CONCHOIDAL FRACTURE: are smoothly
curving, clamshell- shaped surfaces. (Ex.
Quartz)
 SPECIAL PROPERTIES: Some minerals have
distinctive properties that readily distinguish
them from other minerals. For example, Calcite
reacts with dilute hydrochloric acid to produce
carbon dioxide gas and Magnetite attracts
magnets.
 Mineralogists distinguished several principal
classes of minerals. Here are some of the major
ones:
* Silicates
* Sulfides
* Oxides
* Halides
* Sulfates
* Carbonates
* Phosphates
 Most widespread of the minerals making up
over 95% of the Earth’s continental crust.
 They are made up of Oxygen and Silicon, two
of the most abundant elements on Earth.
 Most rocks are composed mainly of this class of
minerals.
 Silicates contain the SiO44- anionic group. In
this group, four Oxygen atoms surround a
single silicon atom, thereby defining the
corners of a tetrahedron.
 INDEPENDENT TETRAHEDRA: tetrahedra are
independent and do not share any oxygen atoms.
Ex. Olivine

Also, Topaz, Garnets, Howelite, Kyanite

 SINGLE CHAINS: tetrahedra link to form a
chain by sharing two oxygen atoms.

 Ex. Pyroxene
 DOUBLE CHAINS: tetrahedra link to form a
double chain by sharing two or three oxygen
atoms.
 Ex. Asbestos
 SHEET SILICATES: tetrahedra in this group
share three oxygen atoms and therefore link to
form two-dimensional sheets.

Ex. Mica
 FRAMEWORK SILICATES: in this group,
each tetrahedron shares all four oxygen atoms
with its neighbors, forming a three dimensional
structure.
Ex. Felspar Quartz
 Made up of sulfur combined with another
element, usually a metal.
 Many of the world’s primary metal ores belong
to this group.
 Ex.

 Cinnabar contains 85% Hg; Galena contains

10% Pb.
 Are mineral compounds combining a metal
with oxygen or a metal combining with oxygen
and hydrogen.
Ex. Hematite Rutile
 Are formed by combining a metal with one of
the five halogen elements.
 Many of these compounds will dissolve in
water.
Ex. Halite
 Are made up of one or more metals in
combination with S and O.
 As a group, they are soft and pale in color and
sometimes transparent or translucent.
Ex. Barite Gypsum Celestite
 Come from the combination of C, O and a
metal.
 This group of minerals is soft and easily
dissolved by even mild acids.
Ex. Calcite Malichite Rhodochrosite
 Contain P and O.
 Most commonly used in fertilizers

Ex. Turquoise Wavellite Apatite

 Of the 92 chemical elements found in nature,
only 19 are known to occur as minerals.
 These native elements are commonly divided
into three groups:
1. Metals (Ex. Ir, Os, Fe, Zn, Sn, Au, Ag, Cu, Pb)
2. Semi metals (Ex. Bi, Sb, As, Te, Se)
3. Non metals (Ex. S, C)
 Experiments demonstrate that the
temperatures and pressures needed to form
diamond are so extreme that in nature they
generally occur at depths of around 150 km
below the Earth’s surface;
 Under these conditions, C atoms rearrange to
form a much stronger and more compact
structure;
 Most diamonds that have been discovered
were delivered to Earth’s surface by deep
source volcanic eruptions.
 These eruptions begin in the mantle, and on
their way up they tear out pieces of mantle
rock and deliver them to Earth’s surface
without melting.
 These blocks from the mantle are known as
xenoliths.
 They contain diamonds that were formed at the
high temperature and pressure conditions of
the mantle.
 How does Carbon get down into the mantle
where it transforms into a diamond? Geologists
speculate that subduction or collision provides
the means of carrying carbon- containing rocks
and sediments from the Earth’s surface down
to the mantle.